Pushing Back Against Challenges to Mental Health and Emotional Wellness

There are many biological and psychological factors faced by people living with HIV that can from time to time challenge their sense of mental health and emotional well-being. Researchers have found that people living with chronic conditions such as HIV are at increased risk for experiencing mental and emotional health issues. These issues reduce a person's ability to engage in the daily work of looking after him or herself.

Different studies have found different rates of depression among HIV-positive people; however, overall rates of depression are generally higher than among HIV-negative people.

Psychosocial support plays a vital role in acting as a buffer against stress. Counselling can make people more resilient by enabling them to deal with past trauma and by teaching helpful responses to difficult situations.

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Biological Issues

HIV can cause changes to the way brain cells process and send chemical signals to each other. Also, due to the ongoing inflammation incited by HIV and only partially suppressed by ART, the brain may benefit from additional doctor-recommended or prescribed therapy from time to time, including the following:

All of these steps can go a long way to helping HIV-positive people lead longer and healthier lives and improve their quality of life.

In some cases it may be necessary for family doctors, nurses and pharmacists to refer patients to different healthcare providers as appropriate, including the following:

social workers

psychologists

psychiatrists

Anxiety

Researchers have found that anxiety -- including such symptoms as excess worry, episodes of panic, nervousness, paralyzing fear -- can occur in some HIV-positive people. Anxiety can also occur as part of the spectrum of depressive illness.

If left untreated, persistent anxiety can degrade a person's quality of life and affect their energy and ability to have restful sleep.

If you think that you might suffer from anxiety, speak to your doctor to get help.

Anxiety can be successfully managed with one or more of the following:

Bipolar Disorder

Also called manic depressive illness, bipolar disorder causes "unusual shifts in mood, energy, activity levels and the ability to carry out day-to-day tasks," according to mental health experts. Furthermore, these experts add that "symptoms of bipolar disorder can be quite severe and can result in a manic state where thinking and judgment are severely impaired." Some researchers suggest that rates of bipolar disorder are elevated among HIV-positive people.

People living with bipolar disorder can go through periods of high energy for weeks or months and can have symptoms such as the following:

After a period of weeks or months the affected person may become depressed and experience symptoms such as the following:

unexpected lack of energy

difficulty concentrating

poor memory

feelings of unexpected sadness, guilt or hopelessness

losing pleasure in activities that were once fun

difficulty falling or staying asleep or sleeping too much

avoiding friends

If you have these or other symptoms suggestive of bipolar disorder, contact your doctor right away.

Diagnosis of bipolar disorder can only be done by a healthcare professional. There are many treatment options for bipolar disorder and the goals of treatment are to minimize shifts in mood and enable people to become functional.

People with bipolar disorder are at high risk for severe depression and thoughts of self-harm. In such cases, preventing suicide with medication becomes an important short-term goal.

According to American psychiatrist Daniel Hall-Flavin, approaches to the treatment of bipolar disorder can include the following groups of medicines:

mood stabilizers -- lithium

some anti-seizure drugs (valproic acid, carbamazepine, lamotrigine)

Some doctors and patients also find another class of drugs called antipsychotics helpful for bipolar disorder. These can include the following drugs:

quetiapine (Seroquel)

olanzapine (Zyprexa)

risperidone (Risperdal)

aripiprazole (Abilify)

ziprasidone (Zeldox, Geodon)

asenapine (Saphris)

According to Dr. Hall-Flavin, antipsychotics can be helpful in cases where persistent depression or mania occur despite the use of mood stabilizers. Antipsychotics may be used either alone or in combination with a mood stabilizer.

In cases of persistent depression despite the use of a mood stabilizer or antipsychotic, doctors may then also add an antidepressant to a person's regimen. However, antidepressants need to be used cautiously, as they may inadvertently trigger an episode of mania in susceptible people.

In addition to medications, and depending on the severity of illness, doctors may recommend the following courses of action:

a temporary stay in a hospital or regular visits to a hospital where the response to treatment is monitored

lifestyle changes -- healthier eating, more regular exercise

Successfully managing bipolar illness takes time and patience to find the right drug or combinations of drugs. Dose adjustments or other changes to medications may be necessary from time to time to avoid or minimize side effects.

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